After getting my 2B license, I went to test whether it is feasible to actually ride a motorcycle in Tokyo. I’ve driven in Japan many times, and I always tell people that it is possibly the easiest place to drive in the world, apart from some of the narrow streets. Drivers are generally friendly, give way to you and they don’t squeeze you. They almost never speed, and never once have I ever encountered any form of road rage.
I had some work to settle at Tokyo earlier in Sept ’24, so I decided to rent a Suzuki GSXR125 from Rental819, which is a foreigner friendly motorcycle rental store. They don’t own the stores per se, but they are like an agent with appointed shops, and I had a very good experience with them.
One of the reasons why I don’t partically like driving in Tokyo is that parking is really expensive. It will easily cost you 700-1000 Yen an hour at most places like Ebisu, Shibuya or Shinjuku. Motorcycle parking is cheap at about 100 Yen an hour at most places, however it requires more effort to find. The good thing is that it often does not exceed more than $5/day as well for motorcycles. One of the web-based apps that I like to use is S-Park, which you can look for parking for cars or motorcycles all over the city.
When renting a car, get an ETC card from the rental company so that you can use it for highway tolls; they will bill you after you are finished with the car rental. For motorcycles before 125 cc, you are not permitted to use the highway so an ETC will not be necessary. For cars, I like to use Tooco. To save on tolls, you may opt to travel after midnight where they may offer 30-50% off the highway tolls. You’ll need to check the highway/ETC sites for more accurate information.
I also recommend getting the smallest car that can fit your party. Not only is it more economical, but also easier to maneuver around.
Personally, I feel that driving in Tokyo is not realistic, but it still does save you time if you need to travel all around. It also permits you to do more, at the price of cost. Compared to 10 years ago, traffic is significally lesser. Even during peak hours, it isn’t that bad. I think it is something that you do if you really like driving, and that if driving is part of the holiday. It doesn’t quite make economic sense. However for other cities like Osaka, Sapporo, Kyoto, I am very pro-driving.
Parking of cars is relatively straightforward; look for the P signs and after you shift your car into the spot, a little pole will rise slightly to lend against your undercarriage. When you come back to retrieve your car, enter your lot number into the machine, and it will prompt you the amount to pay. For most places, you may have to use cash. For motorcycles, there will a chain for you to use to loop through your wheels. Don’t worry if it sounds complicated; there is usually a diagram at the carpark to help you.
For almost all sorts of parking spaces, there will usually be a 最大 limit, which is the limit that you will pay for that bracket. Usually it is something that you will need to take note, especially parking for extended hours.
I rode to Mt Takao and back, and each way is about 1.5h-2h. Cars don’t squeeze you, motorcycles are rare and they don’t really lane split. Only once did I find a car come a little too near to me. On some days, I rode, on some days, my friend drove. Parking is relatively tight for motorcycles, so it was a little difficult for a new rider like me.
Ah, riding a motorcycle in Japan. That was awesome.
